Team Seven Again
by Jaenera Targaryen
Summary: Shinachiku Uzumaki, Satsuki Uchiha, and Ayako Yamashiro: together they form the new iteration of the famous Team Seven. Can they live up to their predecessors' reputation, or will they fail trying? Post-NaruSaku
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.

Team Seven Again

Prologue

On a certain morning in Hi no Kuni (the Land of Fire), within Konohagakure no Sato (the Village Hidden in the Leaves), a blonde boy could be seen running and jumping over the rooftops as he sped along on his way. Despite only being a newly-minted genin, every step was sure and certain, not an inch giving way even as he ran over and jumped on angled or uneven surfaces, the boy's ease speaking of unquestioning confidence born of long experience at the task.

The boy's name was Uzumaki Shinachiku, and he was twelve years old. He was dressed in a dark blue short-sleeved shirt with the orange spiral of his clan emblazoned on its sleeves and back, along with orange shorts of utilitarian make. A side bag was slung over his shoulders, and his unusually-large forehead was largely-obscured by a dark-blue hitai-ate.

Shinachiku blinked, surefootedly coming to a stop as he spotted a familiar figure making her way at a sedate pace on a street below. "Hey, Hitomi!" he shouted with a grin, jumping down as the girl tilted her conical hat up to look up in his direction.

"Oh hey Shina," Nara Hitomi responded in her usual relaxed fashion as Shina ran up to her. "Good morning."

"Good morning to you too." Shina said with a grin. And then he blinked, the grin giving way to a puzzled expression. "You don't sound too excited though. Today's the day we get assigned genin teams isn't it?"

"It's too troublesome to get excited." Hitomi replied, and eliciting a laugh from Shina as they continued walking to the academy, though at Hitomi's more sedate pace.

"Well that sounds just like you." Shina said. "Though, didn't you say the same thing about becoming a ninja? And here you are, a ninja with the rest of us."

"Eh," Hitomi shrugged. "Mom's nagging was even more troublesome. And my old man found it too troublesome to stop her. Troublesome parents…"

Shina laughed nervously, but decided not to say anything. For a few minutes the two childhood friends walked in silence, and then Shina coughed before resuming the conversation. "So," he said. "Any ideas on who might get assigned with you?"

Hitomi immediately thought that it was rather obvious, but decided to play along rather than get into a possible argument if she snubbed Shina. Well, not really, her friend's skin was rather thick, but if word got back to her mother it would be even more troublesome. "Probably Kenji and Asuma," she said instead. "The Ino-Shika-Cho combo again, I guess."

"I don't think it can be called the Ino-Shika-Cho combo anymore, Hitomi."

Hitomi sucked her teeth for a moment and nodded. "You're right it isn't." she agreed. "Just don't let Kenji hear that. That troublesome boy will only try and come up with some sort of new nickname. And he's already troublesome enough as he is."

Shina laughed at that. "Everything's too troublesome for you, Hitomi." He said.

"Yeah, it sure is." She agreed with a sigh. "I'd be so much happier just watching the deer all day long, but no, I had to be a ninja, because I'm clan heiress or something like that…"

Shina laughed nervously again as Hitomi muttered incoherently to herself. After a moment she glanced at him, her face overshadowed by her hat. "You'll probably end up with Satsuki and Ayako, won't you?" she asked.

This time it was Shina's turn to sigh wearily. "Oh man," he whined. "I don't really mind Satsuki, but Ayako's a complete fangirl! This is such a pain!"

"Oh?" Hitomi said with a ghost of a smile. "The tables are turned aren't they, Shina?"

"Don't use big words!"

"I'm not, I'm just saying…"

Hitomi trailed off and laughed softly as Shina muttered incoherently under his breath.

* * *

"Anyway," the chuunin instructor behind the desk said after finishing the genin orientation, though it was really just a summation and reminder of what they already knew about the expectations and responsibilities they were now obliged to fulfill as Konoha ninja. "As you know, you will now be divided into three-man genin teams under the leadership of a jounin-sensei. He or she will lead you in your missions, and further your skills until such time you are promoted to chuunin rank."

As he was speaking, several older ninjas entered the room, clearly the jounin-sensei to be assigned to lead the genin teams to be assigned. Once all the jounin had come in, the chuunin instructor began calling out names, first of the genin assigned to a team, and then their sensei.

"Team Seven will be composed of Uchiha Satsuki, Uzumaki Shinachiku, and Yamashiro Ayako, under the leadership of Sarutobi Konohamaru."

Three responding sounds drowned out the rest of the room in the aftermath: a girl's shrill squeal, the sound of a forehead striking a table, and loud, barking laughter.

"Have fun sunshine!" Inuzuka Tatsu cackled at a redhead seated on the front row, wearing matching shorts and a short-sleeved shirt in dark blue, with Uchiha Clan emblems on the sleeves and black. A red hitai-ate hung around her neck, the girl lifting her head from where she'd brought it down on her desk. At once she glared at Tatsu and shot him a one-finger salute.

"Up yours, dog-breath!" Uchiha Satsuki retorted, resulting in yet more laughter from the rowdy genin. A vein began to throb on the redhead's forehead at that, though a hand on her shoulder from Shina distracted her sufficiently. Unfortunately, however…

"Hey, Shina-kun!" a dark-haired girl in a green blouse and blue shorts immediately latched onto the blonde boy's free arm. "We're on the same team now, isn't that great?"

"Yeah," Shina laughed nervously, trying to pry the girl off his arm and making gestures for help from Satsuki. "It really is."

Satsuki only groaned and slammed her head down against her desk again.

* * *

"ALRIGHT!" Konohamaru shouted cheerfully, staring down at his team as they gathered on top of the academy building. "Let's get this show on the road, shall we team? Well, before that there are a couple of things we need to do first. First of all, of course, we need to get to know each other."

Satsuki rolled her eyes at that. It was common knowledge that Konohamaru was the Third Hokage's grandson, and was aiming to succeed the Seventh as the Eighth Hokage someday. And, while they didn't know each as well as with the Nara girl, Satsuki and Shina could be said to be (relatively) close friends for a certain reason.

Ayako, on the other hand…

"Why don't you start sensei, so we know how it goes." Ayako asked.

"Hmm, alright," Konohamaru said with a thoughtful expression. "Let's see, my name's Sarutobi Konohamaru, though you already know that. My likes and dislikes, well they're none of your concern, and my dreams for the future…"

"Please tell me you're not going with the Kakashi routine, Konohamaru-sensei." Satsuki groaned.

"Hey, don't mess with me." Konohamaru protested the interruption. "Okay fine, I guess I shouldn't have tried to follow Kakashi's example."

Grumbling at the interruption, Konohamaru sat down on the ground with his students. "Well," he said. "My future dream is pretty well-known, that is to eventually succeed the boss as Hokage. That's all there to it I guess."

"Boss…?" Ayako echoed.

"Konohamaru-nii calls dad 'boss'." Shina explained, before glancing at their sensei with a smirk. "Though, I wonder if you can become Hokage before my sister does, Konohamaru-nii."

Konohamaru laughed at that. "Oh yeah," he said. "Hanami-chan wants to be Hokage too, doesn't she?"

"Yup!"

Ayako looked curiously at Shina at that. "You don't want to be Hokage, Shina-kun?" she asked.

"Good question," Konohamaru said with a nod. "Your turn to introduce yourself, Shina."

Shina shrugged before getting to his feet. "Well, my name's Uzumaki Shinachiku, though my friends just call me Shina." He said. "My favorite food and hobby are ramen and gardening, and I dislike, um, well I dislike unpleasant people. My dream for the future is to become a famous medical ninja just like my mom!"

"Oh, so you're following in your mother's footsteps!" Ayako said in realization. "Come to think of it, Sakura-sama is supposed to be the strongest kunoichi in the world isn't she?"

"Well," Shina answered nervously, scratching at a cheek. "People say she is, but mom says she can't really call herself that until Tsunade-baasan passes away so…"

Shina trailed off and then coughed. "That's all I guess." He said before sitting back down. Konohamaru nodded twice, first at Shina and then at Satsuki.

"You're up next, Satsuki."

"My name's Uchiha Satsuki." Satsuki said at once, not getting up. "My favorite hobby is falconry, and I really dislike people who are all talk. My dream for the future is to finish what my father started: to rebuild the Uchiha Clan. That's all."

Shina nodded encouragingly at Satsuki, while Konohamaru nodded in understanding. It was pretty much what he expected from Shina and Satsuki, he'd known the two of them since they were small children. Shina closer to his mother in terms of ambition and Satsuki's clan ambitions being confirmed came as no surprise.

"Well then, you're last Ayako-chan." Konohamaru said to the third member of his team. "Tell us about yourself."

"Well, my name's Yamashiro Ayako." Ayako said, getting to her feet and going from foot to foot in excitement. "I like…"

She paused and glanced with a blush at Shina, causing Konohamaru's smile to turn glassy. It turned even glassier as she continued speaking. "My hobbies are…" she continued, only to glance again at Shina before blushing even deeper. "And my dream is to…"

This time she didn't just blush, but also briefly sank into a possibly-disturbing though naturally-childish fantasy probably involving her in a wedding dress or kimono, ending with an ear-piercing shriek that briefly deafened the rest of Team Seven.

" _Gods damn it,_ " Konohamaru thought while rubbing his head with a hand. " _What did I ever do to deserve a fangirl in my team?_ "

Shina meanwhile hung his head with a groan, Satsuki also giving out a groan and palming her face. Ayako didn't seem to notice though, only snapping out of her fantasy when Konohamaru gave a cough. "Anyway," he said. "I think we've all had enough excitement for the day. I still have other things to do today, such as reporting to the boss for one thing, so dismissed. But…! I expect to see you at the Third Training Ground tomorrow morning, around ten or so, for your genin test."

"Test…?" Ayako echoed. "But didn't we graduate already?"

"Ha!" Konohamaru barked. "Anyone can jot down history and solve problems on paper, to say nothing of doing practice matches and E-rank ninjutsu. But, even genin need something more to actually be worthy of the title. And we'll see about it tomorrow."

"But what happens if we fail?" Ayako asked.

"Then you either go back to the academy or flunk out as civilians." Konohamaru shrugged.

"That's not fair!"

"Life's not fair, little girl." Konohamaru retorted. "If you can't accept that simple fact, then you already don't have what it takes to be a ninja. Just hand that hitai-ate of yours back and get a job as a civilian. It'll be easier, though by no means fair."

Ayako opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything. Instead, she lowered her face with an uneasy expression, only for Shina to put a hand on her shoulder. She glanced at him in surprise. "Don't worry, Ayako-san." He told her with a determined smile before turning back to Konohamaru. "Life's not fair, but it's no reason to give up. We'll plow through that test tomorrow, you better believe it!"

"Ha, we'll see about that." Konohamaru said, and Satsuki snorted.

"I'm nowhere near as cheerful as Shina here is," she said. "But I agree. There's no way I'm flunking out now, I'll give it my all and blow that test clear out of my way."

Konohamaru laughed softly. "Glad to hear it." He said. "Well then, see you tomorrow."

And with an illusionary flutter of leaves, he was gone.

* * *

A/N

Eh, might as well give it a shot. This will be on my backburner though, seeing as I've got other fics on the stove.

Not sure how the reception will be, but regardless, I'll give it a try. At any rate, it's an interesting project in my opinion.


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.

Team Seven Again

Chapter 1

"W-w-w-w-what are we going to do?" Ayako panicked, starting to pace. "I-I-I can't fail and go back to the academy! None of my friends will ever want to come near me again!"

Satsuki rolled her eyes at the sight, watching as the 'dead last' wailed and pulled at her hair. Shina however got to his feet, and placing his hands on Ayako's shoulders got her to calm down. "It'll be alright, Ayako-san." He said with a reassuring smile. "There's no way we can fail this test."

"R-really?" Ayako said, but it was Satsuki who answered first.

"Sure," she said. "As long as you don't drag us down, dobe."

"Satsuki!" Shina snapped, glaring at the redhead. Satsuki scoffed and looked away, letting Shina turn back to the other girl.

"Dad told me about the test." Shina replied. "Kind of, he was actually telling me and Hanami the story of how he, mom, and Uncle Sasuke became genin. Come to think of it, you were there at the time weren't you, Satsuki?"

"I was." Satsuki replied, and Shina nodded.

"Basically all we have to do is work as a team, and we can pass." He said to Ayako. "Of course, knowing that and actually making it happen are two entirely different matters."

"Work…as a team?" Ayako echoed. Shina nodded again.

"Pretty much," he said, and scratched at his head. "Remember all those lectures on the importance of teamwork, watching out for each other, and all that? We'll be tested if our team works. After all, there's no point in keeping us around and sending us on missions if we can't even work together on a test. Ninja don't go out alone, after all."

Satsuki snorted but didn't say anything further. "Even ANBU go out on teams from what I know." Shina continued. "And they're the best. If they still need to be sent in teams, the same goes for everyone else below them."

"Well, okay then," Ayako said softly, sighing and briefly looking down. After a moment, she looked up at Shina and Satsuki. "So what now?"

"That depends," Shina asked, glancing at Satsuki. "We'll need to come up with a plan for starters. And I don't think Konohamaru-nii will use the same bell test Uncle Kakashi used on mom and dad."

"Agreed," Satsuki said with a nod, and getting to her feet. "He'll probably come up with a different test, otherwise it might be too easy."

"Konohamaru-nii is a jounin, Satsuki. It'll be hard no matter what."

Satsuki shrugged. "Yeah, but I don't think he'll go all out on us." She said. "Get real Shina, even if we work as a perfect team, there's no chance we can beat a serious jounin."

"I still think he'll be cutting us some slack, not enough to make it a pushover, but enough to really test our teamwork."

"I'm not saying he won't." Satsuki said with a sigh. "I'm just saying he won't make it easy for us. No point in testing us otherwise, right?"

"I…never mind." Shina said with a sigh, and Satsuki gave a cold smile. "No matter what, we'll need a plan. Just jumping in won't work."

"I know that." Satsuki said, looking at both Ayako and Shina in turn. She narrowed her eyes, letting them stay on the other girl. "Still, I don't think this is the right place to come up with a plan. And even if we do come up with one, the question then becomes if we can even make it work."

"Are you saying I'm useless?" Ayako asked softly.

"Do you really want an honest answer?"

"That's enough Satsuki!" Shina said firmly. "We're a team now, so we'll just have to _make_ it work!"

"It's the truth." Satsuki said unrepentantly, and then gave a sigh. "With that said, I don't want to fail either, and as you said, this is to test our teamwork. Let's meet up at Shimatani Gardens later to make up a plan."

"I don't see why we can't do it right now." Shina challenged. "It's not like we've got anything else to do."

Satsuki smiled coldly, though there was a hint of amusement in her eyes. "What?" she asked. "I just wanted to give Yamashiro over here some time to think about why she even wants to be a ninja, and whether or not she has what it takes."

Ayako stayed silent, and after a few moments, looked away. "I just don't want to be so ashamed in front of dad and my friends." She whispered. "And also…"

She cut herself off, though her eyes briefly flickered to Shina before looking away, her cheeks turning ever so slightly pink. Shina looked uncomfortable, while Satsuki sighed. "Alright," she said grudgingly. "Not wanting to let your family down is a valid enough reason to be a ninja I guess. And you are a veteran jounin's daughter too."

Ayako nodded slowly, and Shina smiled reassuringly. "Even if your skills aren't that great," he said after placing a hand on her shoulder. "We should be able to scrape by if we work together. And after that, we can work together on improving your skills. Alright?"

Ayako looked at Shina and gave a small smile and nod. Shina nodded back. "Then make sure you're prepared to support Shina and me." Satsuki said, already turning to leave. "That's the best you can do, so make sure you do it."

Shina looked very disapproving, but Satsuki just shrugged before walking past with a nod at Shina, to the stairwell and then down into the academy proper. Ayako looked to Shina. "Shina-kun," she began. "I…"

"We'll be fine." Shina reassured her. "Don't let Satsuki get to you, there are…reasons, why she acts like that. Just get through the test and get better, and she will too."

Ayako smiled and nodded, and Shina gave her a strange look before sighing and running a hand through his hair.

 _She's still feeling down, isn't she? Damn it Satsuki...I should do something._

"Okay," he said after thinking for a bit. After a moment he glanced back at her. "Want to join me for lunch?"

"Really?" Ayako asked, her demeanor brightening in an instant.

"It's not a date." Shina said at once, but with an apologetic smile, and Ayako sheepishly laughed and rubbed an arm. "But first, let's go see my dad. I'm sure he'd have no trouble treating us to ramen. Or do you want to eat something else?"

"No, no," Ayako said, raising her hands to make it clear she had no problems whatsoever with ramen. "Ramen is fine. And besides, if Hokage-sama is treating us, then he might as well get his favorite."

Shina laughed at that. "Yeah, dad's really known for being a huge fan of ramen." He said. "I don't see anything wrong with it though."

Ayako laughed too, any lingering shadows from Satsuki forgotten. "But it's your favorite too, isn't it, Shina-kun?" she asked, and he grinned at her.

"You can bet it is!"

* * *

"Are you going to go with the bell test, Konohamaru?"

"That's too easy boss." Konohamaru answered with a grin. "You probably told those kids all about it already. Well, Satsuki and Shina at least. I don't know if Aoba-sempai went through the bell test, or if he even told his little girl about the genin test in general."

"Honestly I didn't tell Satsuki and my kids about the genin test to give them a head-start." The Seventh Hokage, Uzumaki Naruto replied. "They wanted to know how I became a ninja, so I told them. It's just that…"

Naruto trailed off, and Konohamaru smirked. "You let your mouth get ahead of you, eh boss?" he asked. "Before you knew it, they knew all about the genin test, and the bell test in particular."

Naruto laughed. "You got me." He said, running a hand through his spiky blonde hair. Naruto had let it grow out from when he was younger, and with a pair of long bangs that framed his face his resemblance to his father the Fourth Hokage Namikaze Minato was rather striking.

"Well, even if they didn't know about it, Shina and Satsuki should be able to work well with each other." Konohamaru said. "They've been training with each other ever since they were kids after all."

"They're still kids you know." Naruto pointed out, opening a drawer and pulling out a box of cigarettes and an ashtray took one and lit it up. "Want one?"

"Sorry but no thanks, boss." Konohamaru politely refused, and Naruto shrugged before drawing in a deep breath and then blowing out a thin stream of smoke.

"If you ever get the hat," he said. "You might be offering me or someone else cigarettes soon enough. Or a drink, like Tsunade-baachan used to do. Honestly, even if it's mostly paperwork and it is supposed to be a peaceful age, this job still takes a lot out of you."

"Maybe," Konohamaru said with a shrug. "But, I hope you won't step down for a bit boss. It's your dream after all, so you should enjoy having it for a while."

Naruto laughed and ran a hand through his hair again. "And?" he asked. "Is there any problems you already see now?"

"Aoba-sempai's little girl," Konohamaru replied. "Ayako, could be a problem. Just from a glance she doesn't have the strength, stamina, or agility a barely-passable _should_ have, and from her record in the academy, and how she acted, I'd say she takes being a ninja too lightly. I'd even say she's only in this so she can get close to Shina."

Naruto puffed on his cigarette for a bit, his arms crossed over his chest. He then looked at Konohamaru seriously. "Are you giving up on her then?" he asked. "You think she doesn't have what it takes?"

Konohamaru held Naruto's gaze. "She'll have to coattail on Shina and Satsuki for now," he eventually said. "But if she really wants to succeed as a ninja, then she'll have to grow up."

"And that's your job as her jounin-sensei." Naruto said with a small smile. "Can you handle it?"

Konohamaru drew himself up and nodded. "I'll do my best." He said.

Naruto nodded. As if on cue, the intercom rang, and Naruto pressed the speaker button. "Yes?" he asked.

"Hokage-sama," the chuunin on the other side began. "Your son and one Genin Yamashiro are here to see you."

"Send them in, Kinue-kun." Naruto said before closing the line. Konohamaru nodded at the Hokage as Naruto turned back to him.

"I'll be going then, boss."

"Yeah sure," Naruto said with a grin. "Go back to school, Konohamaru."

"BOSS!" Konohamaru said scandalized, and Naruto laughed boisterously as the jounin left muttering to himself. The illusionary leaves barely had time to vanish before the door opened, and Shina cautiously poked his head into Naruto's office.

"Hey Shina," Naruto said, tapping ashes off his cigarette. "Need something?"

"Are you busy, dad?" Shina asked, entering followed by a girl who gave a respectful bow at Naruto. Naruto raised an eyebrow as Shina closed the door behind them.

 _I'm guessing that's Aoba's daughter, Ayako then._

"I'm always busy." Naruto said with an apologetic smile. "Though I can take some time off from time to time when I need to. And I'm guessing you're my son's teammate aren't you, Ayako-kun wasn't it?"

"Y-yes!" Ayako said with another bow. "I-I'm Ayako. Ayako Yamashiro! It's an honor to meet you in person, Lord Seventh!"

Naruto laughed softly in amusement. "Now, there's no need to be so worked up." He said reassuringly. "It's not like we need to be formal here: there's only the three of us in here after all."

"Y-yes!" Ayako said, barely restraining herself in time from bowing yet again. Shina nodded and briefly gave her a thumbs up.

"And," Naruto began. "Is there anything I can help you with? And how are you getting along with your team?"

Ayako's expression briefly flickered, and her eyes just as briefly looked away. "I," she hesitantly said. "We're, getting along I guess."

Naruto's expression faltered, and after a moment he sighed. "Satsuki," he murmured with evident disappointment, one mirrored by the expression on Shina's face. "Unfortunately, the rules say that the lowest ranking student in the graduating class gets teamed up with the Kunoichi and Rookie of the Year. And not even I can just go against the rules just because it's convenient. If I don't set an example, who will?"

Naruto briefly fell silent, looking out the windows of his office. "I understand, Hokage-sama." Ayako said softly, and after a moment Naruto looked back at her with a small smile.

"I don't think the reasoning behind that rule is wrong though." Naruto said. "The skills of the top graduates would balance out the weakness of their teammate, who'd also learn and improve from their example. It's basically being what a team is supposed to be."

Ayako nodded again, and Naruto leaned forward, resting his chin on his clasped hands. "And besides," he said with a grin. "I know that so long as someone sets their mind to it, they can do anything they set out to do. So let me ask you now: do you really want to be a ninja?"

Shina's eyes widened, and he made to say something, but a flicker of Naruto's eyes towards him stopped him. Naruto then glanced back at Ayako, who'd lowered her face in thought. Naruto stayed silent, letting the girl put herself in order in peace.

"I," Ayako began several long moments later, gripping one of her arms nervously. "I wanted to become a ninja because my dad was one. And even though I could barely keep up with everybody, I still kept trying. Also…"

Ayako trailed off, her cheeks turning pink as her eyes flickered in Shina's direction. Naruto sat back, tapping ashes off his cigarette. "Is that all?" he asked neutrally.

Ayako finally looked up, wearing an unexpectedly determined expression on her face. "I don't like to think of myself as a quitter, Hokage-sama." She said. "And, if I quit now, what happens to Shina-kun and Uchiha-san?"

Naruto kept his eyes locked on the genin's own, and though she faltered she didn't break the gaze. Naruto smiled and nodded. "There are no two-man ninja teams." He said, sitting back. "Do your best, Ayako-kun."

Ayako beamed, and bowed deeply. "Yes!" she said. "I will, Hokage-sama."

Naruto puffed on his cigarette and turned to Shina. "Now then," he said, again resting his chin on his hands. "With that out of the way, is there something you wanted Shina?"

Shina laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Well I invited Ayako to have lunch with us so…" he said, trailing off as Naruto laughed.

"Hey, hey," he said. "You know you're supposed to pay your own dates, right?"

"It's not a date, dad!" Shina protested, and scowled as Naruto laughed again. "I just want to cheer her up, after Satsuki got her down and all."

Naruto sighed, rubbing the back of his head in his turn. "That girl," he said. "Her mother should at least be here,"

Naruto sighed again before looking at Ayako. "Well I don't really mind," he said, beginning to clear his desk. "Just let me finish up for a bit, and we can have lunch out. Treating my son and his friend lunch every once in a while isn't a bad thing. I hope you're fine with ramen though."

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

Shina smiled, and then the door opened, letting a pink-haired young woman in a matching pink blouse with dark blue shorts and a white coat enter. "Naruto," she began, her eyes fixed on a sheaf of papers she carried with her. "There's something that I need you to…"

Shina and Ayako blinked twice. " _Wow._ " They thought, silently impressed at how fast the Hokage reacted, though in a way it was a battle of its own. If his wife had caught him smoking he'd probably never hear the end of it.

So, Naruto had swallowed the cigarette in one breath the moment Sakura had entered the room, one hand just as quickly grabbing the ashtray and putting it in a drawer, slid said drawer closed.

Sakura looked up quizzically at a seemingly-flustered Naruto sitting behind his desk, and then sniffed at the air suspiciously. "This smell…" she trailed off, and Naruto coughed.

"Shikamaru stopped by earlier." He said, and Shina fought down a snicker. Well it probably wasn't a lie. Shikamaru did smoke, and as Jounin Commander he probably did stop by the Hokage's Office. His dad just didn't say _how long_ ago the last visit was.

Sakura scowled, and looked back out of the door. "He really should stop smoking." She said. "His health aside, children come here regularly after all. Talk about irresponsible."

Shina shot a look at his dad, who looked back at him meaningfully.

 _Not a word._

Shina grinned, and Naruto fought down a groan. He knew that grin. Sakura then noticed Shina and Ayako. "Oh hello," she said, addressing Ayako. "I'm guessing you're my son's other teammate, aren't you?"

"Yes." Ayako said with a bow. "I am Ayako Yamashiro, Uzumaki-sama."

Sakura laughed. "It's just Sakura, or if you feel uncomfortable, Sakura-san." She said. "I don't want to be called Uzumaki-sama outside of really formal situations just yet."

Naruto laughed at that. "In other words," he said. "It makes you sound so old."

"Shut up Naruto." Sakura said with a roll of her eyes, but also with a fond smile at her husband.

"Yes Sakura-chan." Naruto said with a small smile. Sakura then turned back to her son, kneeling down and taking hold of his face.

"Listen," she said, fondly stroking his cheekbones. "You're Ayako-chan's teammate. She can't count on anyone else better than you two to help her grow up and get stronger. And Satsuki,"

Sakura trailed off, and then with a sigh shook her head. "Satsuki will be Satsuki." She said. "I can't really do anything about her attitude, so it's up to you to bridge the gap, and have those two get along. I can certainly say that having more friends will only be a good thing for Satsuki. Can I trust you with that?"

Shina nodded, and Sakura smiled at him. "That's a good boy." She said, pressing a kiss against his cheek before turning to Ayako. She placed a hand on her cheek as well. "I'm not really in a position to say too much, but I think I can say this much. Work hard, watch your teammates' backs, and be honest with yourself."

Ayako looked surprised at that, and Sakura gave a fond look in her husband's direction. Naruto looked surprised, and then with a smile nodded at her. Sakura smiled back before turning back to Ayako. "If you're not honest with yourself," she said. "You'll only hold yourself back, understand?"

"Yes, I understand Sakura-san."

Sakura nodded, and patted Ayako on the head before getting up. She turned to find Naruto stowing his paperwork in his desk's drawers. "Going somewhere?" she asked.

"Yeah," Naruto said, pulling on his white cloak. "I'm going to treat Shina and Ayako-kun here to lunch. Ichiraku Ramen of course."

Sakura shot Shina a disapproving look. "What?" he asked.

"You shouldn't make your father pay for your dates, Shinachiku."

"MOM!" Shina said, actually blushing as Naruto burst out laughing.

"Stop teasing him Sakura-chan." Naruto said, playing with his hat with his hands. "I said the same thing earlier. But it's not a date."

Naruto paused, regarding the two blushing genin in the office. "Satsuki got to Ayako again." He said. "She's much like Sasuke was at the time."

Sakura sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "Those two," she said in exasperation before remembering Shina and Ayako were still waiting. "It should be around lunch time for academy students too, shouldn't it Shina?"

Shina nodded after a glance at a wall clock. "Yes." He said.

"Go get your sister then, and we'll meet up at Ichiraku Ramen." She said before turning back to Naruto. "It should be fine right, going out for an hour or two?"

"Yeah, it should." Naruto said, taking the offered sheaf of papers and gave it only a brief glance before leaving it on his desk. Putting his hat on, he glanced back at Sakura, Shina and Ayako leaving the door open behind them as they went to get Hanami. He smiled down at Sakura as she wrapped an arm around his. "Let's go?"

"Yes."

* * *

A couple of hours later, and a pair of genin wandered into Shimatani Gardens. Located in the 'new' districts of Konoha, it was a display of green in the otherwise austere-seeming glass and metal landscape of Shin Konoha. Wide fields and small hills were covered in regularly-trimmed grass, the footpaths were bordered with well-tended flowerbeds, and flowering trees artistically dotted the landscape alone or in groups. A stream ran through the middle of the park, flowing from a miniature waterfall on one side of a hill to a landscaped culvert back underground.

Quite a few people could be seen wandering around the park, enjoying the quiet tranquility of this spot of nature: ordinary citizens and ninjas taking time off on their days jobs, families with young children, and senior citizens.

Shina made his way down a path, accompanied by Ayako as they looked for their other teammate. "How are we supposed to find her?" Ayako asked. "This park is rather big, isn't it?"

"Yes," Shina said absent-mindedly, pausing to take a look around. "Yes it is."

The boy blinked, and then jogged across the grass to another path, Ayako following him. "Over here," he said. "This path goes up that hill over there. Once we get on top, we should be able to have a good look around the park as a whole."

"Oh I see!" Ayako said, jogging after Shina as they followed the path. "That's a great idea, Shina-kun!"

Going up said hill, they paused to take a good look down from what seemed a good vantage point. They wouldn't be mistaking in that assumption, as they quickly spotted a redheaded figure sitting apparently asleep on a bench soon after. "There she is." Shina said, pointing the redhead out to Ayako.

"I see her." Ayako agreed, shading her eyes. Shina nodded and led the way down from the hill, following the path and walking briskly until they managed to reach the bench. Sure enough it was Satsuki, the Uchiha sitting slightly slouched on the bench with her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes closed and her hair shrouding her face in sleep.

"Satsuki," Shina said as they walked up to her, the blonde boy placing a hand on her shoulder and gently shaking her. "Wake up Satsuki."

The girl blinked herself awake, glanced at Shina, and then stretched her arms up over her head. "Did you have a nice nap?" Shina asked, Satsuki running a hand over her face and then through her hair before replying.

"I guess I did." Satsuki replied before noticing Ayako. She narrowed her eyes but at a cough and a firm look from Shina stayed on the topic. "I didn't plan on a nap though, I just sat down after a light lunch. And before I knew it..."

She trailed off, and Shina had a small laugh at her expense. "Before you knew it, you'd dozed off?" he asked, and Satsuki shrugged as though saying 'what can you do?'

"Anyway enough about that." She said, making room for Shina. Shina sat down, but gently forced Satsuki to make more room for Ayako, until the three of them were seated on a bench with Shina between the two girls. "About tomorrow, I don't think we should worry much less prepare for a bell test. Konohamaru-sensei probably knows your dad told us about his experience with it."

Shina nodded his agreement, and Satsuki continued. "I was thinking that Konohamaru-sensei would present us with one or the other of two possible tests." She said. "The first is an endurance match, the three of us against him."

"And the second?"

"We'll play tag." Satsuki said with a smile. Shina looked confused for a moment, and then it clicked.

"So we'll be trying to catch him?" he asked. "I'd rather take the first."

"Either way it's going to be a challenge." Satsuki said with a laugh.

"No matter what though," Shina said grimly. "We have to keep Ayako away from the frontline. She won't last long – if at all – against Konohamaru-nii."

Satsuki gave no reaction at that, but Shina warily glanced in Ayako's direction. She shook her head. "I understand." She said. "While you and Uchiha-san could keep up with Konohamaru-sensei in a test, I wouldn't, at least not fairly. There has to be another way I can help."

Shina nodded. "We can't exactly keep her out of any plan we come up with." He said to Satsuki. "The whole genin test is supposed to be teamwork-based. Even if we last the test or catch Konohamaru-nii, we could still end up failing if we don't work as a team. And that includes Ayako-san."

"Yes, I can't argue with that I guess." Satsuki said, raising a hand to her chin in thought. "So how do we go about it?"

Shina didn't answer at once, the three genin falling silent in thought. The wind briefly picked up after a few moments, sending leaves and pieces of bark and wood flying along with the hair of the three ninjas. As it died down, Shina snapped his fingers. "I've got an idea." He said.

Satsuki raised her head curiously. "Oh?" she asked. "Let's hear it then."

Shina grinned and told her, and Satsuki burst out laughing. "Yeah, that could work." She said. "Even if she's basically just ranged support, it'll fulfill the requirements of teamwork and keeping her away from Konohamaru-sensei. It'll also help even the odds somewhat, between three rookie genin and a veteran jounin."

"We're going to need lots of supplies to make this work." Shina said, and Satsuki rose from her side of the bench.

"Then we'd best start sealing, shouldn't we?" she asked before making to leave.

Shina sighed, and with Ayako trailing behind spoke up as they caught up with their other teammate. "You know," he began, walking up beside Satsuki. "Since we're going to be a team, we might as well be on first-name basis."

Satsuki gave him a look, which Shina returned without flinching. After a few moments the Uchiha relented with a sigh. "Alright, alright," she said with a roll of her eyes before looking past Shina at Ayako. "It's nice to meet you, Yamashiro-san." She said neutrally. "Just call me Satsuki."

Ayako hesitated, but an encouraging look from Shina spurred her on. "It's nice to meet you two, S-Satsuki-san." She said. "Just call me Ayako."

Shina glanced back and forth between the two girls and sighed.

"It's a start I guess."

* * *

A/N

Not a big fan of Naruto's new hairstyle, so I opted to give him something closer to Minato's look.

Actually, I thought the Hokage's Office was located at the Hokage Residence, but after some digging I discovered the former is actually located in the Academy. Wow, you learn something new every day.

Edited 18/01/2017, special thanks to RockyRoader for constructive criticism.


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it is owned by Masashi Kishimoto.

Team Seven Again

Chapter 2

"So, you ready to fail?"

"Do you really think we're going to fail Konohamaru-nii?" Shina shot back. The three genin had come early, and looked ready for bear. Shina and Satsuki's short pockets bulged with equipment, and from the look of things Shina's bag was carrying several scrolls. The boy had also donned an orange windbreaker, while black armguards were strapped over Satsuki's forearms. Even Ayako had come prepared, her belt sporting several bulging pouches strapped to it.

"Considering how Ayako and Satsuki were getting along yesterday…"

"Ayako-san and I have come to an arrangement." Satsuki interrupted. "We don't plan on going back to the academy any time soon, except to get missions from Hokage-sama."

Konohamaru chuckled and nodded. " _So she says,_ " he thought. " _But let's see how it holds up in practice._ "

"Alright then," he said, his face turning serious. The three genin tensed, all three of them reaching into their pouches. It made him smile a bit. "Eager to get going, aren't we? The test is simple: over the next hour, you have to keep me from taking you out of the running. You're free to use whatever jutsu or tactic or strategy to achieve that, but try not to kill each other."

The genin narrowed their eyes at him. "So long as one of the team is still standing," Konohamaru added. "Then the test will continue all the way to the one-hour limit. On the other hand, if the entire team is eliminated before the time limit is reached, well you're all going back to the academy. Got it?"

The three genin nodded, and Konohamaru placed an alarm clock on a nearby rock. "Then," he said, theatrically pushing the alarm button. "Let's begin."

At once the three genin pulled out and three a series of flash and smoke bombs on the ground while simultaneously springing back. Konohamaru likewise jumped back, eyelids closed and arms raised crossed protectively in front of him to protect his eyesight. He jumped back once, twice, and then three times out of the smoke cloud, hands flashing through seals.

"Fuuton: Daitoppa…!" he said, sharply gesturing outward with both hands, and blowing the smoke away. The genin were nowhere to be found, clearly having gone to ground in the forest. Konohamaru smiled before shouting at them. "Not a bad start! Alright, I'll give you a freebie for it: you have ten minutes before I go in there and start kicking your asses back to school!"

There was no reply, and Konohamaru laughed.

 _They just might pass this test after all._

* * *

The free ten minutes passed quickly, and soon enough Konohamaru was jumping through the trees, leaping from branch to branch as he searched for his prospective students in the forest. So far he'd no such luck for the past five minutes, though they had to be in there somewhere.

 _If one of them had been a Nara, I'd consider that they might have left the training grounds for the next hour. After all, it would make it harder for them to be eliminated, and I did say they could use_ _ **any**_ _means to do just that._

 _Though, I doubt any of them would come up with such an idea. And even if they did, Satsuki would never go along with it._

A flicker of movement through the trees caught Konohamaru's eye, and coming to a halt on a branch he threw several shuriken out. They cut through several leaves and branches before embedding themselves on a tree.

The jounin jumped closer, a kunai drawn just in case. Standing on a branch, he carefully surveyed his surroundings, channeling chakra to his senses. After a minute he stood down, and retrieved his shuriken before resuming his trek through the forest.

 _Where are they?_

 _Did they actually leave?_

 _Or are they waiting somewhere up ahead?_

The last thought brought a smile to Konohamaru's lips. " _You brats aren't the only ones who can think ahead._ " He thought. " _Well, sometimes you have to spring a trap to get past._ "

Changing directions, Konohamaru leaped through the canopy until he reached the edge of a large clearing in the middle of the forest. Crouching down on a branch, he checked the clearing for any sign of a trap, but could find nothing.

 _There are other clearings out there._

At the thought, Konohamaru prepared to leave, but only after a closer check of the clearing. Jumping down he warily walked into the middle of the clearing, his eyes narrowing as his instincts warned him of impending danger.

A volley of shuriken flew at him from the side, the jounin easily blocking them as the three genin charged in. Satsuki and Shina cross-jumped from side to side in an effort to disorient him, while Ayako charged straight in from the front, only to finish with a sliding kick as Satsuki and Shina attacked from the sides. Only…

"Nice try!" Konohamaru shouted. Taking a short-jump forward, he dispelled Ayako's bunshin with a step while blocking with his arms dispelled Satsuki and Shina's bunshin. Turning, he threw several shuriken and grinned as they stabbed into pieces of wood courtesy of a quick kawarimi.

 _A distraction with bunshin while the real attack comes from behind is a basic tactic, too basic._

 _But, what if the attack from the rear is also a feint? Then that means…_

Still grinning, Konohamaru simultaneously turned and sprang back, fully expecting the third wave. The grin slipped in the next moment.

"Katon,"

"Fuuton,"

"Oh shit!" Konohamaru barely had time to swear.

 _I expected one of them to cover the other, not both of them to launch a combination elemental attack!_

"Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

"Daitoppa!"

A powerful stream of fire erupted from Satsuki's lips at the same time as an equally-powerful stream of wind erupted from Shina's outstretched hands. The two elemental attacks came together, and with an audible roar and a visible displacement of air, the augmented fireball exploded in Konohamaru's direction, powering past his position and through several meters into the forest beyond.

"That was too close." The jounin said, having used kawarimi to escape before jumping up another tree branch. He glanced at the suddenly-burning patch of forest nearby, before he jumped off and to another tree as a kunai with an explosive tag embedded itself in the trunk. A few moments later and it exploded.

Ayako jinked back and forth between the trees, throwing explosive kunai at Konohamaru. Her aim could be better, but it didn't have to be, at least not in this case.

 _The explosions will draw Satsuki and Shina in her direction, and will keep from getting close…not!_

With a shunshin, he was behind the genin, who barely had time to gasp and partly-turn before Konohamaru delivered a knock-out chop to the top of her head.

"GAH!"Shina cried out as he managed to replace Ayako with himself, blocking Konohamaru's blow with crossed arms raised overhead. He uncrossed them outwards, but before he could follow through Konohamaru simultaneously opened the distance while kicking Shina away hard.

The blonde flew several feet through the air before crashing onto the ground and tumbled several times before falling flat on his back. Konohamaru couldn't follow through however, as Satsuki was on him in an instant. A flying kick was blocked, but Satsuki sprang back to avoid his riposte and launching a counterattack of her own, a series of powerful punches that Konohamaru blocked followed by a spinning kick that Konohamaru also blocked.

A flurry of shuriken from Ayako managed to allow Satsuki to reopen the distance, the Uchiha quickly flashing through hand seals. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" she shouted, before blowing out a stream of fire that forced Konohamaru back.

As he sprang back he spotted Shina jumping to his feet in the distance, briefly shaking his head to clear it. " _Was that the famous Uzumaki endurance_?" he thought. " _Most genin would have been felled by a kick like that._ "

"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!"

Konohamaru swore, having allowed the 'enemy' to get one on him. He dodged the controlled bursts of fire before using a shunshin to close the distance.

"Fuuton: Kazekiri no Jutsu!" Shina shouted, swiping a hand flat up through the air, and sending a sharp blade of wind straight at Konohamaru, and forcing him back away. And then with another shunshin, he threw a flying kick at Shina, who blocked with both arms but was forced to skid back.

Growling, Shina uncrossed his arms and forced Konohamaru back, but was forced to stay on the defensive as Konohamaru unleashed a series of kicks and punches. Shina blocked them all, but was steadily forced to give way from the sheer speed and power of the attack. And then Konohamaru managed to catch him by the wrist, and forcing Shina's guard open, twisted him around and kicked him away at a tree.

Only a quick kawarimi kept a possible concussion away, and a powerful explosion marked yet another Goukakyuu from Satsuki. "Time to take this up a notch." Shina growled as he pushed himself off the ground and pulled a pair of scrolls from his side-bag.

Meanwhile back in the clearing Satsuki was trying to fend off Konohamaru from a prone Ayako, the other girl having been thrown clear across the clearing by the jounin. As Ayako shook her head to clear it, Konohamaru managed to punch Satsuki in the gut, explosively expelling the breath in her lungs and sending her flying several feet.

Konohamaru glanced down at Ayako who threw a handful of shuriken at him. The jounin dodged, only to take a kick to the chest from Satsuki who powered off him and flipped back to crouch in front of Ayako with a drawn kunai.

"Watch yourselves!" Shina suddenly shouted as he jumped out of the canopy, unfurling a pair of scrolls. "Incoming!"

As the scrolls unsealed, dozens of kunai rained down over Konohamaru and between him and Ayako and Satsuki. Konohamaru sprang back, his eyes widening at the sight of the explosive tags attached to the kunai. Satsuki half-dragged Ayako to her feet, and as Shina landed the three genin ran for the tree line and cover.

And just in time: as they stepped into the shadows of the trees, a series of massive explosions erupted behind them, buffeting the trees and powerfully gusting the wind past. "That was too close." Ayako said, peeking out from behind the trees.

"I'd agree but – SCATTER!"

The three genin jumped clear as shuriken rained down, followed by Konohamaru jumping down from the canopy and throwing more shuriken at them. The three genin dodged, Satsuki already going through hand seals. "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!" she shouted, before roaring out a fireball at their sensei.

Konohamaru dodged, and then used kawarimi to avoid a volley of shuriken and explosive kunai from both Shina and Ayako. The three genin jumped back further into the forest, and then Ayako shrieked as Konohamaru appeared from nowhere, and with a chop to the back of her neck knocked her out cold.

"Ayako!" Satsuki and Shina shouted, before running back to her. Konohamaru threw shuriken at them, and then used shunshin to get behind them.

"It's two on one now." He said with a grin, the two genin simultaneously turning and jumping back to avoid a swung kunai. "Show me what you've got, Rookie and Kunoichi of the Year."

The two genin traded looks and then Satsuki charged in. A flying kick, followed by a backward dodge, and then a series of fast kicks and punches. Konohamaru blocked them all, Satsuki dropping down to avoid a return kick before attempting to sweep out Konohamaru's leg. Konohamaru jumped up, tried to kick Satsuki, but was blocked by a low kick from Shina who followed it with another kick aimed at Konohamaru's torso.

The jounin blocked, only for his eyes to widen as Shina twisted through the air, bringing a kick up to his face. Konohamaru blocked and shoved the genin away, and then Ayako jumped in with another flying kick, this one making contact and driving Konohamaru back.

Smoke and blinding light erupted, and Konohamaru used shunshin to get clear. " _Not bad,_ " he thought, blinking his eyesight clear and saw no sign of either Shina or Satsuki. And then he frowned, spotting the downed form of Ayako at the base of a tree. " _They left her behind?_ "

Konohamaru narrowed his eyes. That seemed too contrary to the teamwork they displayed earlier, and the whole setup smelled of a trap. He briefly debated throwing a shuriken, but settled for a rock instead. He tossed it at Ayako, and the moment it touched the girl, it popped to reveal a log covered in explosive seals.

Konohamaru snarled and took cover as it exploded.

 _Clever_

* * *

"Are you alright?"

"Somehow," Ayako replied, rubbing the back of her neck. "My neck still hurts though."

"You should have a medic-nin take a look at it later." Shina said. Ayako nodded, and then glanced at Satsuki as she slid down the slope to join them. The three genin had retreated further into the forest, and were now taking shelter beneath a small, tree-covered hill. "Do you think you got him?"

Ayako looked back at Shina and shook her head. "He threw a rock from a distance." She said. "The explosion wouldn't have caused anything serious."

"It was too soon to use kawarimi." Satsuki said. "You should have waited until he came close, and _then_ used kawarimi."

Ayako winced and nodded. "Sorry," she said. Satsuki sighed and looked at Shina.

"What now?" she asked. Shina looked at his wristwatch.

"There are still thirty minutes left in the test." He said. "We need to hold out for that much longer."

"It's going to be a pain." Satsuki said. "We've managed to surprise Konohamaru-sensei more than once, but he's shrugged off everything we've thrown at him."

"What did you expect?" Shina asked. "He's a jounin. Even if he is taking it easy, it's still not going to be easy for us."

"I know that." Satsuki said, taking a look over their cover. "And that's why I think we should abandon the existing plan and use a new one."

"And from the sound of it you've already thought of one." Shina said after a moment. "What do you have in mind?"

Satsuki smiled and leaning forward whispered the plan to the rest of her team. Ayako looked shocked. "Seriously?" she said as Shina snickered.

"That's playing dirty." He said with a grin. Satsuki shrugged.

"We're ninjas." She said. "We're not supposed to fight fair. If we did, then we're doing something wrong. And in the first place this was an unfair fight to begin with. Three genin fresh out of training against a veteran jounin? What a joke. No one's going to blame us for doing everything we can to even the odds. And didn't he say we could use any plan we can come up with to finish the test?"

Shina snickered again. "He's not going to be happy if this works." He said. "Though, my dad will probably laugh his ass off."

"Well if Hokage-sama is fine with it, then what's the problem?"

"None." Shina said, before glancing at Ayako who nodded. "Alright, we'll follow the new plan. Now let's get going before Konohamaru-nii catches up."

* * *

Konohamaru landed on the riverbank and scratched his head. There was still twenty minutes left in the test, but for the past ten minutes he couldn't find any trace of his prospective students.

Well, he'd managed to find their trail after they'd broken off and retreated after the earlier engagements, and he'd followed to the river while sending out Kage Bunshin to fan out and search the forest, but he'd seen neither head nor tail of the three genin. There was that explosion far off the trail earlier, but it was clearly a feint, though just in case it wasn't or it was an accident – like say an explosive tag going off by mistake – he'd sent a Kage Bunshin to investigate, and help if necessary.

Though, they couldn't really be considered prospective students anymore. Their teamwork could still probably use some work, but they could and did work together, which was what the test was supposed to find out anyway. Whether or not they reached the time limit was meaningless in that light.

That didn't mean he was going to end the test early though. It was a matter of principle.

Konohamaru kept scratching his head as his Kage Bunshin dispelled one by one in the distance, all reporting via their memories no trace of the genin except for the trail leading here. Only, there were no genin here.

" _This doesn't make sense._ " He thought to himself. " _If they were going to box me in against the river, why haven't they attacked yet? Are they waiting for something? If so, what?_ "

Muttering to himself, the jounin paced along the riverbank, sharpening his senses using chakra for any trace of a trap or anything of the sort. And then he noticed something: the trail ended _at_ the riverbank. Literally.

Konohamaru felt like swearing and laughing at the same time. That was their plan?

" _Instead of doubling-back through the forest, they'll swim down the river and simultaneously avoid me and cut time off getting back to the main training grounds._ " he thought. " _Then while I'm wasting time looking for them in the forest, they can dig in and wait for me to come to them, or until the time limit is reached._ "

Konohamaru finally laughed at how clever his students were. But, they'd forgotten one thing: he didn't need to swim to use the river as a shortcut, and could get back to the main training grounds before them or at least faster than they expect. "I don't know if it was Satsuki or Shina who came up with this plan," he said with a grin, already sweeping down the river surface. "Damn they're clever! But I should still be able to give them ten minutes of hell for this dirty trick!"

In moments the jounin was gone down the river and around a bed, leaving the riverbank empty and quiet save for the sounds of nature behind him. A couple of minutes passed, and then with puffs of smoke, three large rocks were revealed to be a trio of genin using henge. "I can't believe that actually worked." Ayako said with a gasp. "He was right in front of us!"

"Sometimes the best place to hide in is in plain sight." Satsuki said smugly. "They taught us that at the academy remember?"

"Yeah, they did." Shina said with a laugh, rummaging through his bag and pulling out a scroll. Opening it he unsealed several rice balls and handed two each to Ayako and Satsuki. "Oh man, dad is going to love this."

* * *

"CONGRATULATIONS!"

A pair of fists promptly decked Satsuki and Shina on the head from a grinning Konohamaru, who was sporting a throbbing vein on his forehead. "You finished the test, and you pass!" he said cheerfully. "As of this moment, you are unquestionably and officially Genin of the Leaf!"

"W-w-w-why?"

Konohamaru's face twisted into a dark scowl. "That was for the dirty trick you pulled." He snapped, crossing his arms over his chest. "Man, you three got me good. You had me running off on a wild chase back here while you had a little picnic in the forest before taking your sweet time coming back."

"You said we could use any plan we could come up with!"

"Yes I did." Konohamaru nodded with a smile. "That doesn't mean it still wasn't a dirty trick. And don't expect it to work again: I underestimated you guys, but it won't happen again. And that sort of trick doesn't really work in the big leagues."

Konohamaru sighed, and lowered his arms. "Now then," he said. "Who among you three actually came up with that plan?"

"What's it to you?" Satsuki challenged.

"Credit goes where credit is due."

"Really?"

"Why is it so unbelievable?" Konohamaru snapped. The three genin looked at each other and then back at him.

"Well," Shina began. "You say that, but you also said it's still a dirty trick."

"And you bonked me and Shina on the head for it." Satsuki continued.

"So who knows what you might do if you found out who came up with the plan." Ayako finished.

Konohamaru gaped, and then shook his head. "No, no, no," he said. "Seriously, who came up with the plan? I swear I won't hit or anything the genius behind it. Really."

"Really?" the three genin chorused.

"YES!"

"Then," Shina said, before pausing and glancing at his teammates. Satsuki raised an eyebrow, Ayako shrugged, and then Satsuki nodded before Shina looked back at Konohamaru. "All three of us came up with the plan."

"I don't believe you." Konohamaru said bluntly.

"Then don't," Satsuki said bluntly. "Send us back to the academy for all we care, I'll just tell Uncle Naruto you held us back because we were watching out for each other. That'll go really well I'm sure."

Konohamaru growled and muttered incoherently at the threat. Leaning forward, he gave the three of them the stink eye, but while Ayako cowered and hid behind Shina none of the three gave way. Satsuki even had the nerve to raise her chin defiantly.

Konohamaru kept up the pressure for several more moments, and then leaning back smiled before holding out a fist. The three genin stared at it, glanced at Konohamaru, stared at it again, and then glanced back at Konohamaru.

"Fist bump you fools!" the jounin snapped.

The three genin gaped, and then muttering about people trying to be cool Satsuki was the first to return the gesture. Shina followed, and then Ayako did likewise.

"Yeah, Team Seven is ready for business!" Konohamaru said with a grin. And then the grin turned back into a scowl.

"Seriously though, don't ever be so uncool not knowing what a fist bump is again!"

* * *

The administrative block of the academy building echoed with the Hokage's laughter filtering out the open windows. "Oh, oh, oh," Naruto struggled to say between laughs. "I…I can't believe…you actually…you actually fell for something like that…!"

"Hokage-sama," Shizune pointed out as Naruto continued to laugh. "While I'll admit a jounin getting tricked by three freshly-graduated genin is rather, amusing…"

Konohamaru shot her a betrayed look, which she ignored.

"The plan was rather ingenious, and not something you'd expect for genin. Well, maybe a Nara could come up with something like this but,"

"Oh?" Naruto said, stopping his laughter. He wiped at his eyes, and then resting his chin on his hands gave Shizune a quizzical glance. "Are you trying to imply something on my son's part? Yeah he looks like me and I wasn't exactly, er, very, um, perceptive, when I was his age, but he takes a lot from his mother on the inside. And Sakura-chan was always very smart."

"I'm not trying to imply anything like that, Hokage-sama." Shizune said with a sigh. "It's just that genin usually tend to try and solve things by charging in and solving problems or accomplishing mission objectives using the easiest and most obvious plans. Generally-speaking, of course."

"Point I guess." Naruto said with a nod. "So, who do you think was behind the plan?"

"Any of them actually," Konohamaru replied. "Most likely it could be either Shina or Satsuki based on their academic performance, but it's possible Ayako could have come up with it too. Dead last or not, you never know when someone has the motivation and effort to pull something off."

Naruto nodded. "It doesn't really matter though." Konohamaru said with a grin. "Even without the three of them covering for each other over whoever came up with that plan, the teamwork they showed in the first part of the test is more than enough to pass them on."

Naruto smiled and leaned back on his test. "Good," he said with a nod. "To be honest I was rather worried about Satsuki, but from what you've told about how the test went she's at least more than capable of being professional on the field. They're off to a good start then, better than our Team Seven was. We basically fucked off to each do our own thing, ending with, uh, someone tied to a stump."

The other two in the room grinned at that, and Naruto coughed. "Moving on," he continued. "What can you say about their skills?"

"I can't really say anything about genjutsu until I can test it specifically," Konohamaru replied at once. "But when it comes to ninjutsu both Shina and Satsuki are good. They each know at least two nature transformation jutsus, and Shina is also good enough it seems with kawarimi to cover for a teammate at a moment's notice. Ayako doesn't seem to know any nature transformation jutsus yet though, and from what I know none of them should know anything more than the Leaf Chakra Control Exercise from the academy, though I have suspicions about that on Shina's part."

Naruto nodded. "When it comes to taijutsu they're both good, for genin, though Satsuki seems repetitive at times." Konohamaru continued. "Ayako's taijutsu though is barely passable, and the same goes for her aim except at close range and with explosive weapons."

"You must be really abysmal to miss at close range," Naruto said with a laugh. "And you don't really need to be accurate with explosive weapons. Even a 'close enough' is usually good for something. So what's your plan with those three?"

Konohamaru smiled. "Oh the usual," he said. "D-ranks, chakra training exercises, practice bouts, stamina and team building: in short, all the bull we went through as genin to get stronger."

Naruto and Konohamaru shared a laugh at that while Shizune coughed primly at the coarse language. "Well there's no such things as shortcuts when it comes to learning, getting stronger, or growing up." Naruto said, pulling Team Seven's paperwork to him and stamping it with his seal. "I'm not sure if I ever said that to either of my kids or to Satsuki, but either way they'll be learning soon enough."

Naruto nodded and looked back up at Konohamaru. "I'll leave them to you then." He said.

"Yes, Hokage-sama."

* * *

A/N

If Sasuke in canon can use Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu before he was 10, Satsuki could master it by 12, and ditto for Shinachiku and Fuuton: Daitoppa. Katon: Housenka no Jutsu and Fuuton: Kazekiri no Jutsu should be peanuts compared to either of those jutsu.


End file.
